A child's genes do not assist bacteria that cause tooth decay

THAT children should be taught to brush their teeth regularly is a sine qua non of bringing them up. But the suspicion remains among some people, dentists included, that even so, certain children are doomed to develop dental cavities. The hypothesis behind this fear is that some combinations of genes may give succour to the sorts of oral bacteria which are responsible for cavities. If true, that would be sad for the youngsters concerned. But a study just published in Cell Host and Microbe, by Andres Gomez and Karen Nelson of the J. Craig Venter Institute, in San Diego, suggests it isn't true.The mouth is home to many species of microbes. Most are benign. Some, though, are well known to secrete acidic waste products when fed sugar. This acidity weakens teeth, causing them to decay. To try to find out whether a child's genes play any role in encouraging such acid-secreting bugs, Dr Gomez and Dr Nelson set up an experiment with...Continue reading
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